


The Fallen

by stas22



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU, M/M, Robb Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2020-04-23 16:57:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19155202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stas22/pseuds/stas22
Summary: As Jon and Sansa try to get Winterfell back, an unexpected knight in shining armor comes to their aide.AU where Robb lives and helps Jon win back Winterfell. From there, it falls upon them to decide who is king in the north, how to deal with white walkers and what should become of the Irone Throne.





	1. Cover Art

**Author's Note:**

> I have become obsessed with the idea of Robb and Jon being together and unfortunately even with the books still being written, I see very little chance that GRRM will throw me a bone and bring Robb back from the dead to be by Jon's side. Also there is sadly only a small amount of Jon/Robb fan-fiction out there and I'm desperate for more so I am going to try my own hand at it. 
> 
> This was the best I could come up with for how it could happen realistically, and while I am reading the books, and watched the show, I am not claiming to be an expert and there will be most certainly a bunch of things wrong in this. 
> 
> But honestly, does that really matter? The most important thing is these two hotties ending up together. I mean even Kit Harington once said that Jon would go gay for Robb Stark, because as he said if they can do sister/brother incest, why not brother/brother (though technically cousin) incest.
> 
>  
> 
> A slight edit was recently made to the end of the first chapter. Literally its like two lines but it was what I had originally imagined would happen but I had completely forgot to add it. Because along with Robb surviving, I feel it is very important for Grey Wind to have survived because I say so thats why.


	2. Chapter One

Jon Snow stood panting in the center of the battle field, blood seeping over his eye from his hairline, dirt packed into his ears from when he was trampled into the mud by rushing bodies, and hopes dying as he watched his men fall around him. The Battle of The Bastards has proved grueling and Jon found it hard to keep going, especially after watching his brother being shot down by arrows. There had barely been time to think once the battle had started, barely any time to feel the pain of losing another family member, another _brother_ , but now time seemed to slow down and stop as he watched Ramsey’s men overpower his own troops.

He started to question if it was worth staying alive and fighting day after day for a reprieve that may never come. Even if they won this battle, there was the inevitable fight against the Night King looming in the near future, along with the seemingly never ending battle for the Iron Throne. Was it worth living when he might see another one of his friends or family die? Watching Rickon dying when he was so close was hard, he should have been able to save him and yet he couldn’t; what hope did he have at keeping his remaining siblings alive? There had been little proof of life since Arya had gone missing, and while they were told that Bran hadn’t been killed as they thought, what’s to say that it hadn’t happened since? And if this battle was unsuccessful, Sansa would be as good as dead, or worse, left to Ramsey’s diabolical revenge.

In what felt like long moments but probably only lasted seconds as he stood there amid battle, he let himself remember his childhood: Running around chasing Arya under the barely concealed smirk of their lord father, teaching Bran to use his bow and arrow, tickling Rickon as he giggled, sneaking Sansa extra lemon cakes which would earn him the faintest of smiles. With a pang in his heart he remembered his favorite moments: sparring with Robb while they threw lazy insults at each other, playing pranks on their siblings and Theon together, sneaking out to the Godswoods with satchels of wine that they had taken from the sleeping guard of the kennels and spending all night drinking and talking and laughing until they were too drunk to stumble their way back to their bedchambers, curling up together on the forest floor to keep warm beneath their cloaks, hands clasped tightly as they slept off the alcohol. The pain of losing his lord father had made him weep, but it was the idea of Robb being burdened with what was to come that made him want to leave Castle Black, so that Jon could be by his side as he had always promised, to try and make it up to Robb for having left him in the first place.

 _Your place is beside me, always._ Robb would tell him that whenever Jon would come to him, feeling lonely and out of place in the halls of Winterfell. Lady Catelyn would watch over him with disdain clear in her eyes as he played with his siblings; watching as Arya followed him like a shadow, as Bran pleaded with him to teach him how to fight, and as Robb would always look to Jon for his opinion and his support.

It was one such night, when Lady Catelyn had refused Jon a place in the dining hall while they entertained a Lord and his family from the South. She said that having a bastard at their table would be a great dishonor to the Lord and his wife, and that he would be lucky to have his supper in the kitchen. Robb had lashed out, demanding his mother change her mind and allow Jon a place at his side. Lady Catelyn would not budge on the matter, and she told Robb that he wouldn’t even notice Jon’s absence, what with Lord Sterling bringing along his daughter, Lady Eliza. When Robb began to realize that his lady mother was trying to set up a match for him, he became even more furious, but Lord Eddard came in and squashed any further argument. Jon was banished from the main halls after that, and Robb, determined to act a petulant child for the rest of the night, spoke very little during the dinner and took his leave early saying that he felt ill. Robb had gone and found Jon then, sneaking into his bedchambers and crawling into bed with him, grasping his hand between them and leaning close so their foreheads touched.

 _I do not belong here,_ Jon had said.

 _Of course you do, you belong with our lord father, and our siblings. You belong with me._ Robb had said firmly.

 _And what am I to do here? You will be Lord of Winterfell one day, with a wife and children. I will not have a title, I will not have a home, or a family. I have no place here._ Tears had welled in Jon’s eyes and Robb had reached up with his free hand to wipe them away.

 _Your place is beside me, always._ He had replied, pulling his half-brother in tight. Jon had fallen asleep in the comfort and warmth of Robb’s presence, and the next morning they broke fast together, Robb rambling on to no end about hunting and practicing their sword fighting and the lord lessons he had to take daily. And Jon listened dutifully while trying to ignore the heat of the glare he received from Lady Catelyn.

She had found him later that night in his bedchambers, and spoke to him with cold empty eyes. _Your Uncle Benjen rides to stay with us. You will speak to him of a future with the Night’s Watch. If you are lucky, they will accept you when you come of age and they will find a place for you there. If you are unlucky and they want you as much as I, then you will ride for another homestead and beg for boarding in exchange for farm work. Robb will not have you here filling his mind with unlordly things while he learns to run Winterfell._ With that she left, and Jon had moved to the fire with no hope to warm the chill in his bones.

That week, the royal family rode for Winterfell and Robb’s duty came calling early. With Lord Eddard riding for King’s Landing, there would be no place for Jon at Winterfell, as was Lady Catelyn’s decree. And with betrayal in his crystal blue eyes, Robb watched as Jon left and rode for the wall.

Now watching as Ramsey rode toward him on his horse, sword raised and smirk on his face, Jon felt a quiet relief at the idea of being by Robb’s side once again. Raising his own sword, Jon widened his stance and prepared for the stinging blow of steel against steel, ready to go down fighting. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened them again he was surprised to find that steel would not be coming down on him then.

A rider in silver armor with a smoky grey cloak on a white horse with grey legs and mane, streaked across the field and slashed his sword at Ramsey’s back, striking him from his horse while other men moved to grab him and take him prisoner. With that, the fighting stopped around him, an eerie silence falling among the men on the field.

The silver rider on his white horse slowed to a trot and circled back to stand in front of Jon. He dismounted and approached, other riders falling into place beside him, as Sansa, Tormund and Davos backed Jon. The silver knight was only slightly taller than Jon, but unlike him there was not a spot of dirt or blood on him. Jon could feel the tense presence of Sansa, Tormund and Davos behind him as the surviving men on the field watched the unknown man approach him, no one knowing what to expect.

Ghost appeared at his side then, muzzle red with blood and watched the scene with his ruby eyes, before moving forward through the crowd of unknown knights. The knights parted and Ghost was met with another wolf, bigger than him and a dark grey who starred back at him before moving close and nuzzling him with familiarity. When the silver knight reached up and took off his helm, gasps rose around Jon, whose sword slipped from his hand in shock as he took in the slightly flattened curls of auburn hair and the crystal blue eyes that watched him. _Tully eyes._

Jon dropped to his knees in utter disbelief as the man in front of him smirked.

“Welcome home, Snow.”

 


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, thanks for the kind words. I am so sorry this has been put off for so long but it honestly takes me a lot to sit down and file through all the jumbled thoughts in my head. Hope this mess is something you can enjoy!

The remaining members of Jon’s hastily thrown together army, along with Sansa’s Knights of the Vale and the other Northmen worked together to burn the bodies of the dead, capture Ramsey’s men, and begin to prepare Winterfell for its rightful inhabitants. While men bustled around them, Jon still found himself in a shocked state as he and Sansa sat with a man they both thought dead. Davos had taken over for Jon, commanding the men on Jon’s bidding, while some of the stewards they had with them served them food and drink at a hastily set up table just inside the walls of Winterfell.

  
“I don’t understand.” Sansa stated, breaking the silence between the siblings. Jon found himself unable to talk, as his mind worked to process what was happening before him. “We thought you dead.”

  
“Yes, and I am truly sorry that you were both made to believe that but I promise you it was necessary.” Robb Stark said, very much alive and well.

  
Jon’s eyes took in every inch of his brother, seeing the carefully groomed facial hair, well kempt auburn locks, properly-fitted armor, and the very obvious fact that his head was still attached to his body. He looked to the ground and found Ghost curled up with his brother sleeping, Grey Wind’s head also very much still attached to his body. Robb seemed to notice Jon’s appraisal and sighed.

  
“It is quite a long story. We had been tipped off before walking into the trap that was the wedding to Walder Frey’s daughter. We played it off as if we had no idea, but when it was clear the attack was imminent, well we were ready.”

  
Robb went on to explain that his men had quickly moved to surround Walder Frey and his many children and men, and when no agreement could be reached, fighting had broken out. It was a blood bath, a Red Wedding at that. But when Robb had made to attack Roose Bolton, the man who had given them away, an arrow struck Robb, piercing through his left shoulder with blood spurting in a way that could only mean looming death. Bolton had escaped, some of his men lingering in battle. But he would not know that Robb’s uncle had run back in again, having let loose Grey Wind when he heard the commotion, and most of the remaining men were slaughtered.

  
However, with Robb so gravely injured and his mother killed, his uncle had come up with the plan of having them fight on in secret. He sent men to kill a large hound in the kennels where Grey Wind had been kept and mount its wolf-like head to the body of another young fighter who they dressed in Robb’s armor. They rode him about through the grounds of the Twins and any remaining men of Roose Bolton’s believed it to mean they had found victory in their plan. They were left to report back to their lord and bring him the news.

  
Following that, Robb was nursed back to health, and though he was left to mourn his lady mother, he was of sound mind to continue with the plan his uncle had started for him. They decided that as Roose Bolton was working off Tywin Lannister’s orders, and clearly had been in cahoots with Walder Frey, they would act on as if Frey himself still held the Twins. They sent ravens to Bolton and Lannister, giving a fictional recap of the events: The Young Wolf and his mother and uncle are dead, we hold the Twins steady, we act under your command and the command of the rightful King Joffrey.

  
Luckily for them, Walder Frey was not a man to act when called upon and no one expected him to be. So, they could hide out at the Twins and continue to make plans with no one coming to knock down their doors asking for assistance and none the wiser of their tricks. Unfortunately, word got out to the Lords of the North who were not at the Red Wedding that their leader had perished and they were forced to retreat and deal with the fallout. The safest way to hold their cover was to allow for them to go on believing it to be the truth.

  
Robb could recover in peace and his uncle and remaining men were able to keep up with the events of the kingdom while hidden behind tall walls. With the news of Joffrey’s death, and the naming of King Tommen, Robb and his uncle decided it was best to let the others fight for the throne and kill each other off until there was only one person left to fight. Then, if the Lannister’s still held the throne, they would reach out to the remaining Northmen in secret and build an army back up again and surprise them in ambush.

  
“When I heard that the two of you were doing just that, building up an army and needing all the help that you could get, well I simply could not just sit back and watch. I am more than relieved that we could join you in time, along with the Knights of the Vale. The two of you being alive means more to me than carrying out our plan.”

  
Sansa and Jon sat quietly, taking in all that had been told to them. Jon wanted desperately to go to Robb and embrace him. The battle was over, they could figure out the rest later. For now, should it not be enough to simply enjoy being alive and reunited? However, another part of him worried of what would happen next with the re-emergence of his brother. Would he take the Northmen who had sworn to help Jon with the Night King and head south for the Iron Throne? Or would he take control but stay by Jon’s side when the Army of the Dead came for them?

  
_Your place is beside me, always._

  
Davos approached them then, breaking Jon from his warring thoughts. “You may enter Winterfell now, Jon. We have prepared the Lord’s chambers and other rooms for you all to stay in. It will still take some time but I have many working to destroy any trace of the Bolton’s.”

  
“Thank you, Davos.” Jon replied. Davos nodded his head and took his leave, silence once again falling on the siblings.  
“You can take the Lord’s chambers, Sansa.” Jon offered. However, his words fell on deaf ears as Sansa spoke up, quietly but voice dripping with anger.

  
“You were alive all this time, and I was made to suffer at the hands of that animal.” She seethed, eyes like daggers on Robb. “All this time, and you did not try to track me down or get word to me so that I could at least try to ask for help? Instead I had to wait until Theon gathered enough guilt and courage to help me escape. I had to run and find Jon and ask him for help even though he has his own battle to prepare for. We had to offer up our lives and those who are pledged to us to fight Ramsey even though we knew we did not have enough men and that we were all likely to die. And all this time, you were alive and could have helped us?”

  
“Sansa, I-” Robb started to say, guilt and shame written on his face. But Sansa stood abruptly, cutting him off.

  
“Thank you for your kind offer, Jon. I will take the Lord’s chambers, even though it is you who should have them, as the new Lord of Winterfell. I will retire to them now for the night, and join you tomorrow to discuss our plans.” With that she swept herself away and across the grounds of Winterfell.

  
Tension filled silence surrounded them, Robb’s head hung in shame, when his voice quietly reached Jon’s ears.

  
“It had to be this way. It had to.” He looked up at Jon then, his eyes pleading for his brother to understand. Jon looked back at him, at those Tully eyes that had always held honesty towards him, and nodded his head.

  
“Come, let us re-enter our home. Finally.” Jon said. Robb’s face filled with relief and they walked back to where they belonged.

  
_Beside me, always._

***

“We must take stock of our men, our supplies, and discuss what is to come.” The young Lady Mormont declared to a room full of squabbling men. A chorus of disagreement rose around the Great Hall, where the Lords of the North were crammed in to debrief the events of taking back Winterfell.

  
“No, no we should be feasting and drinking, celebrating a victory and toasting to those who gave their lives for it.” Tormund decreed loudly, shouts of encouragement answering him. Lady Mormont’s face scrunched in anger, and made to retaliate.

  
“Alright, alright, settle down.” Jon announced from his spot at the long table in the front of the room. Robb was seated at his side, along with Davos, and the room fell quiet at his voice. “Lady Mormont, I am grateful for your drive and devotion, it will come useful with the days to follow. But for now, we are all exhausted and mourning those we have lost. Today has been harrowing and full of shock,” Jon paused glancing at his brother. “For now, we shall feast and recuperate and tomorrow we shall gather and deliberate.”

  
Cheers sounded in the hall and servants brought in food and drink. Loud conversation flowed, with laughter and light arguing leading the way. Lady Mormont seemed to sigh in displeasure but took part in the food and drink readily, the events of battle finally taking toll on her body. Jon himself grabbed a goblet of ale and dug into the pie place in front of him. He watched over his people, celebrating and mourning, and felt unease settle heavy in his gut.

  
Tomorrow they will deliberate. Tomorrow they will decide who to follow and who to rally against. He was finally home, yet he still felt the discomfort of being in these halls. It was impossible for him not to remember the feeling of being out of place here. Yes, this is where he grew up, but was it ever really his home? And Robb, back at his side again, something he could never have dreamed to come true. And yet he felt ill at the possibility that his brother won’t believe his claims of the Night King, and that he will take his army south to the throne. Another side of him wanted to just be relieved that he could give the burden of being a leader over to his brother, the rightful heir of Winterfell, and return to his place of being unimportant.

  
Jon’s thoughts continued to war within him as the rest partied on around him. Eventually he took his leave from the hall and made his way into the corridor, seeking out his room. Footsteps resonated on the stone floors behind him and a hand reached for his shoulder, causing him to spin around in terror, his guard up. He was met with auburn hair and Tully eyes.

  
“I’ve been waiting all night to speak with you.” Robb said to him, his eyes searching for something on Jon’s face. What, he wasn’t sure. “I know it has been a while, but I was hoping we could reminisce. Catch up and be properly reunited.”

  
When Jon didn’t say anything Robb sighed.

  
“I’ve missed you.”

  
Jon’s heart pounded as he stared back at his brother, and he swallowed back the emotions that tried to crawl up his throat. Finally, he lunged forward and embraced his brother, arms around his shoulders, face pressed into his neck, and instantly his mind fell quiet. He felt his brother’s arms come up to surround his waist tightly, his breath hitching like he was about to sob or maybe out of relief. Jon’s eyes stung as he allowed himself to enjoy the warmth and comfort, the familiarity of Robb.

  
Eventually they stepped back from each other, and Jon had to wipe at his eyes, but when he looked back to Robb he saw longing on his brothers face.

  
“Why don’t you join me in my chambers?” Jon asked, his body becoming weary. “We can relax by the fire and talk.”

  
Robb smiled blindingly at him and Jon’s heart lurched. “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving forward, I would like to know some of your opinions on certain subjects:
> 
> Talisa- I liked her in the show, but for the purposes of Jon and Robb being together, and being each other's one true love, I kind of want to make her have been in cahoots with Roose Bolton, and Tywnin Lannister. Thoughts? BUT, the question then is what happened to her. Would you like for the baby to have been Roose's or Tywin's, and therefore she was just killed? Or should the baby be Robb's and she is kept alive as prisoner until the baby is born and then Robb could raise him to be his heir?
> 
> which brings me to another question:
> 
> Jon/Robb babies/future- if the baby is Robb's, then he and Jon could raise him as theirs and as their heir, which would kind of take care of the whole two men being together but how do they add babies to the plan thing. OR we could add in some mpreg and have this world have barrers and carriers (those who get others pregnant and those who can get pregnant) and once the jon/robb coupling begins we accidentally find out that whoops, Jon is a carrier and can have Robb's babies. this could help with the whole two men, getting married and ruling together thing that seems unlikely to happen in GRRM's fantasy world and therefore make it easier to explain the normalcy of jon and robb ending up together. but does mpreg seem to fit with this story? would that mean people would not follow jon and robb would have to be the lord of winterfell, or could we still do the ruling together, being equal thing?? personally i like mpreg a lot of the times, but i cant decide if it fits into this particular story or not.
> 
> thoughts? please let me know!!!


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

* * *

 

Jon stoked the fire in his chambers, staring into the flames and allowing the heat to wash over his sore and tired body. The crackling of the wood was loud in the silence of the room, but still not loud enough to drone out the constant thoughts jumbling around in his mind. He wanted to be happy that his brother, his best friend, his constant childhood companion was not only alive but here with him in this very room. Someone for him to trust completely during this mind game that was the battle for the throne. He should be crying tears of joy, not feeling sick to his stomach in worry.

“I suppose it was foolish of me to assume that there would be talking between the two of us tonight, what with you asking me back to your chambers to talk and all.” Jon whipped his head around at the sound of Robb’s voice. His brother smirked at him to let him know his comment was made in jest and once again Jon’s heart lurched in his chest. When Jon failed to respond, his smile dropped and he hung his head, toying with the chalice of sweet wine in his hands. “Always so serious, Snow. Is it outlandish for me to have hoped you would be elated upon seeing me again?”

Jon felt guilt drip through his veins as he took a seat next to Robb. “Of course, I am happy to see you again, Robb. You have no idea.”

“I think I might have an inkling.” Robb replied, looking at Jon once again through his disheveled curls, a small smile back on his face. Jon sighed.

“I thought you dead, Robb.” And with that the smile disappeared again. “I mourned you, I almost got myself killed from recklessness because it hurt so much to know I was in a world without you. I would have rather left this world, too. But my friends, the Brothers of the Nights Watch, would not let me. Gods, they wouldn’t let me out of their sights for weeks after that, afraid I would try and do something rash again. I swear, even Ghost seemed to be watching me more carefully.”

They both looked to the bed, where Grey Wind and Ghost were once again curled up together. Jon envied them for being able to fall back into their old ways so easily. When he looked back to Robb, Jon could almost believe he was thinking the same thought.

“I am so sorry, Jon. I cannot apologize enough for what I put you through. I wrote letters, at first daily, and then just occasionally, but I wrote them and I wanted to send them to you. I wanted your council more than anyone else.” His eyes were earnest as they bore into Jon’s. “The moment you left for The Wall I had a gut feeling that it would be a huge mistake. I mostly just believed that it was just because it felt like I was missing a limb with you gone, that I just missed you so much. But then, when news came of Father being captured and tried for treason, I knew that it was the worst thing in the world for me that you were not by my side then. You are the only person I have ever trusted wholly, who understood me best, and who could balance me out on every decision that needed to be made.”

A gloomy laugh escaped him then and Jon felt trouble as he watched his brother slouched in a defeated posture.

“I imagine even my mother felt wretched for sending you away to the wall when we needed you the most.”

“You did well without me, Robb.” Jon tried to reassure. “We had to go our separate ways for a time. I learned things while I was away, and I’m sure you learned things too. Robb, if I had not taken the black, I would not know how desperately fucked we all are with the war to come.”

“The Lannister’s may be vile, Jon, but I do not think we should call ourselves _desperately fucked_ just yet.” Jon shook his head, a few dark curls escaping the leather tie holding his hair back from the battle.

“No, no not this senseless war for an uncomfortable metal chair. I am talking about a war against death itself.” At Robb’s questioning look, Jon set out to fill him in on the Army of the Dead, and what had brought him and the Wildlings to the Northmen in the first place. As he went on, shock froze on Robb’s face, utterly dismayed by what he was hearing. “There is no need for an Iron Throne if the Night King and his army defeat us all first.”

“The Night King?” Robb questioned, head cocked in confusion. Jon almost laughed at the way he looked like Ghost when Jon gave him a command he didn’t understand.

“Robb, do you remember when Father took us to speak with the deserter? When Bran saw his first beheading and we found the wolves? That deserter spoke of white walkers and he was telling the truth. White walkers, the Night King, it is all real.” Jon shuddered at the thought of them. “They are wretched, ugly and dangerous with only the purpose to kill.”

“You cannot be serious-“ Robb started and Jon lifted his eyes sharply to him and interjected.

“I have fought them.” Jon said and Robb’s mouth shut with a click. Jon knew that Robb would trust anything out of Jon’s mouth, especially a claim to experience. “They are marching toward the wall and they _will_ advance past it. And there is not much between Castle Black and the walls of Winterfell. Here will be their first stop.”

“ _Gods._ ” Robb muttered and Jon nodded.

“Now that you are here, now that your life is no longer a secret, I only ask that when you lead your men south to take the throne that you leave behind as much of an army as you can spare. Sansa will do well to lead Winterfell in your absence and I will stay here as well with the wildlings and we will do our best to fight when the time comes. But please, I need your support if we are to allow for any hope of victory against these cold killers.”

Robb was silent for a moment and Jon’s heart sunk. He would not have believed his brother to deny him what seemed like such a simple request, but he feared things may have changed more than he thought.

“Jon.” Robb said lowly. “I have only just returned to my home, _our_ home. People are only now learning that I am still alive. I have no plans now passed getting a good night’s sleep in a familiar place surrounded by family for the first time in years.”

Jon scoffed. “I know Father taught you better than that. You have had plans for every moment since we were children. You have never lied to me, we have always been honest with each other. Please do not start now, Robb, not you.”

“I do not lie to you Jon, I would not. It has been years since I have had any plan to take the Iron Throne. And you have been crowned the King in the North now. I would not take that from you. I would be content to offer you council and be your right-hand man. And I would not turn my back to a fight if you believe it is important. That is the truth, Jon. And that you must believe.”

“Now that you are here, the Northmen will not follow my rule. And the wildlings, well they are stubborn but they will follow my trust in you. You will have the support, Robb, it is your birthright. Father trained you for this, and I have had no instructions. You will rule, and I will be right beside you.”

_By my side, always._

Robb stood suddenly, his chair rocking violently backwards. “I may have been handed the title through birth, but you have earned it, Jon. You have fought for it, and lead the people while I was gone. You will keep the title and I will support you, the Northmen will see you are the right man for the job.”

Jon shook his head, standing up from his own seat and turning his back on his brother, his stomach turning and his hands shaking. “I do not want it.” He whispered, then he turned to face Robb. “I _do not want_ it.”

Robb’s demeanor changed immediately, the stubborn fight going out of him, replaced by the ingrained need to be concerned for and to comfort Jon. His brother seemed to be falling apart and it gutted Robb.

“Jon-“

“When we were children, we would play and train, and then Father would call on you for lessons and I would train alone or play games with the stable boys or do chores. We would hold feasts and council for other highborn families and I would be banished to my bedchambers or the stables while you shared ale and meat with other Lords and Ladies. I was born to be invisible, and you were born to be at the center of it all. I did what I had to when I learned of the white walkers and they shoved this metaphorical crown on my head and it is _too heavy_. I just want to be invisible again.”

“Jon, I know how difficult the responsibility of leading is. How scary. I had no idea what I was doing when we rode south after Father was taken captive. But you are so brave. You took the black, you left behind the life you knew for one unknown, and you have fought the white walkers. You can do this. And you have never been invisible, not to me.”

Jon’s eyes misted over. Robb’s support and opinion had always meant more to him than anyone, even Father’s. Robb moved closer, snaking his arm around Jon’s waist and pulled him in, touching their foreheads together.

“Sometimes,” Robb started quietly. “I wonder what it would have been like if the King never came to Winterfell, or if Father never agreed to be his hand.”

“I would have still taken the black.” Jon stated simply, and at that Robb pulled away again like he had been burned. He looked at Jon for a moment before huffing out an exasperated chuckle.

“You know, sometimes I believe you are more like Father than I ever could be.” Robb sounded proud when he said this, but his eyes looked morose. “Loyalty and honor ooze from your blood and bones without even trying. It is a noble way to live, but it costs more lives than I think it is worth.”

Jon shook his head. “It was never about honor and loyalty, Robb. I had but no other choice! Whether Father had been called upon or not, I could not stay within the walls of this castle! Your lady mother, I know she was a kind and good woman, and maybe that is why it hurt so deeply that she could not show me a sliver of compassion; but she would not have me stay and be a distraction to you. And I could not stay and cause troubles for you.”

“Whether Father was called upon or not you could have stayed! I would have seen to it that you were able to have a good life here. As a Lord of Winterfell, I would have done everything in my power to keep you by my side.” Robb cleared his throat and looked sullen. “My Mother and Theon used to whisper in my ear that it was dangerous to have you by my side, that you would one day try to take my place. But it was you that I trusted above all, I knew of your honor and loyalty, and I knew you would never try that. Even though you did deserve the same rights as I.”

“I would have never done anything to betray you.” Jon assured him, and Robb nodded.

“I know that. I have _always_ known that.”

“Which is why I do not want to be in this position now!” Jon pleaded. “I just want to fight by your side, and to keep our people safe from Winter.”

It was quiet for a moment, all that was heard were the snores of the wolves and the crackling of the fire. Robb looked at his brother resolutely and gave him a small, weary smile.

“Tomorrow we will speak with our people. They will have opinions and arguments and we will make a decision together.” Robb declared. Jon sighed in understanding. “But I need you to know that no matter what they say, no matter what the decision, I stand by you completely.”

Jon stared into his brother’s Tully eyes and felt warmth finally fill his bones again.

“And I you, Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one is more surprised than me that this has been updated. I have been reading the books and re-watching the show and even after all this time I feel it in my bones that Jon and Robb are meant to be. I recently saw a video where some ballsy person had asked Kit who he would have thought Jon would go gay for if GRRM had been the type of guy to do that, and he said Robb so like, come on.... it's practically cannon. Also as I have been reading the books and rewatching the show, it is very obvious that Jon and Robb grew up very close and with a very strong relationship. Benioff and Weiss even said that in "the making of" that plays at the end of the first episode. I find it extremely interesting that they knew of that dynamic and yet hardly showed it in the two episodes we got of Robb and Jon together. But again, in my mind it just solidifies that these two are so strongly connected.

**Author's Note:**

> if anyone has any tips, opinions, or ideas please let me know! i have always wanted to be a writer but i am not the most talented at it. so if you are a grammar person and would like to tell me how to properly write lemme know, and also if you have any requests or additions that you think would go nicely please tell me!!!


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